Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2012 Subaru Impreza submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 30 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 30, in the owner's own words
The fan controls in the center of the dash failed. Fan speed 1&2 work, but 3&4 do not. After pulling the center dash controls out, I found that the plug connecting the fan speed controls to the wiring harness was burnt. This is a concern cause it could have burned other components or caused a fire.
HVAC plug pigtail Blower motor resistor Heater control harness Is available for inspection HVAC electrical plugin was badly burned and melted causing risk of fire Summer months created dangerous interior temperatures Winter months & inclement weather created physical distress- & created dangerous vision restrictions/blockage because unable to use defroster Dangerous cab temperatures, limited or blocked vision through windshield created physical distress and distraction for me thus others and property were at elevated risk Yes confirmed by garage. No inspection performed. No warnings available. There are 2 separate incidents: July 2023/august 2023 September 2024/april 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30-40 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and was driven with manual steering. The failure occurred while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that approximately four days after the first failure, the steering wheel failed to move. Additionally, the vehicle was losing oil and one quart of oil had to be added every month. The contact stated that the power steering, ABS, TPMS, transmission automatic transmission fluid (ATF), and 4-WD failure warning lights were illuminated. The passenger occupant sensor chimed for the passenger to secure the seat belt consistently even though the occupant was seated with the seat belt buckled securely. The contact who is a certified mechanic had replaced the rack and pinion. The contact noticed that the threads on the tie rods were close in proximately risking the chance of damaging the tie rods. The ABS module had been replaced. The contact believed that the engine needed to be replaced but the engine was not replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer confirmed there was no recall for the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 164,964.
The Airbag warning light has been lit within the dashboard. The front passenger seat airbag is faulty and is not able to correctly sense when a passenger is within the seat or not, which disables the airbags. This can be deadly to the passenger if in an accident. The issue seems to be in the ODS passenger seat mat that determines when the airbag is active or not. If moisture is able to get within the mat, then it can short the circuit and cause airbags to not deploy. My car was "supposed" to already been fixed with the issue in 2015 on the recall #WQT55, NHTSA Campaign 15V419000, but I don't believe the underlying issue was fixed correctly or the same part has failed again. Looking further into recalls, the exact same issue is happening again with Subarus with #WRA-24 and NHTSA campaign 24V227. The dealer has asked me to pay over $1700 on to replace this part. Subaru America should fully cover the cost of any Passenger ODS issue especially when there have already been two recalls with the exact same issue.
The AC unit suddenly shutoff and there was a burning smell while I was driving. It turns out that the connector on the back of the climate control unit had either drawn too much current, or the resistance was too high, and the connector had started burning. Fortunately, the melted plastic interrupted the electrical connection, and the fire had went out on its own. It looks like this is not an isolated incident, and several others have dealt with similar when looking online.
Brake Lamp Switch failed in 2018 - we diagnosed the issue, based partly on information from other Subaru owners who had the same problem, and replaced the switch. Since that time, the brake lights have worked fine. We reported this in a letter to Subaru after their recall for the brake lamp switch replacement in 2019. They refused to pay for the part as we no longer have the receipt (not having a crystal ball, we couldn't see any reason to keep it for more than a year in 2018). We did not contest this - in fact, I had merely asked, in my letter, that they note that the part had already failed and been repaired in their records - however, they continue to flag the car as an open safety recall and insist that we bring the car in to replace a switch that no longer needs replacing. I am filing this complaint in the hope that an official record of the incident will fix the records on our car, as their constant recall notices are becoming increasingly more insistent and annoying, and they have also inaccurately noted it as an open recall at the DMV.
50% of the time or more, the ignition refuse to release the key. When turning the key to take it out of the ignition, there are three clicks before the key releases. Mine often clicks twice and will not go beyond this point. I searched and found at other people have the same problem. Sometimes if I place my foot on the brake and put it in neutral, then back to park it will release, but this does not work every time and it can lead to much confusion when parking. People sometimes can’t tell if im trying to move or park. This doesn’t appear to be an isolated incident
POWER STEERING COMES ON 20 MINUTES AFTER I START THE ENGINE AND DRIVE A FEW MILES. HAS GIVEN ME APT OF CLOSE CALLS WITH HITTING CURBS OR AWKWARD TURNS. TRY TO FIND THE PART TO REPLACE IT, BUT MOST WEBSITES SAY THAT MY CAR HAS A GOOD CHANCE OF BEING RECALLED. TOOK TO A SUBARU DEALERSHIP THEY SAID IT'S NOT RECALLED. BUT NOBODY WILL FIX OR SELL ME PARTS DUE TO 'RECALLS' PRECAUTIONS.
MY CAR KEY GETS LOCKED / STUCK IN MY IGNITION WHEN I PUT MY CAR IN PARK AND ATTEMPT TO TURN IT OFF. IT CAN TAKE UP TO 5 MINUTES FOR THE KEY TO BECOME FREE AND I AM ABLE TO REMOVE IT. THIS HAS BEGUN TO HAPPEN MORE FREQUENTLY RECENTLY AND NOW HAPPENS ALMOST EVERY TIME I PUT MY CAR IN PARK. THIS HAPPENS WHEN MY CAR IS STATIONARY.
ON THE HEATER CONTROLS, FOR THE FAN SPEED, THE CONNECTOR ON THE BACK CAUGHT FIRE, I WAS ABLE TO STOP IT IN TIME TO PREVENT ANY FURTHER DAMAGE. MY MOTHER IN LAW AND MY SON RIDE THAT CAR DAILY, COULD OF BEEN A DISASTER. I HAVE PURCHASED A NEW PART, REPLACED THE PLUG, AND SAME ISSUE OCCURED, STARTED SMOKING AND RUINED ANOTHER HEATER CONTROL. USED AUTO PART LOCATIONS NEAR ME REPORTED THE SAME ISSUE ON AT LEAST 3 OTHER CARS. SEE ATTACHED IMAGES.
KEY STUCK IN IGNITION AFTER PARKING.
BENT FRAME: 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA SPORT, AWD W/PZEV, ORDERED 03/2012 NEW FROM JOSEPH SUBARU, FLORENCE, KY, W/42228 TO DATE 09/27/19. ORIGINAL COMPLAINTS DESCRIBED TO DEALER AND MANUFACTURE INCLUDE: *WHEN ORDERING THOUGHT THE CAR HAD A HIGHER ROAD CLEARANCE FOR RURAL DRIVING FROM PICTURES ON INTERNET, *DRIVING CAR IT WANDERS OVER THE ROAD, *TIRES DEFLATE (WORE OUT BEFORE 20,000 MI., SAVED TO REPLACE @ SEARS, MI 23850 IN 04/2016), SOME *PAINT CHIPPED OFF, W/*SLUGGISH 'TRANSMISSION' & 'BRAKING SYSTEM,' & BELT OR SCREECH NOISE UPON START-UP (NO ASSISTANCE FROM MANUFACTURER & DEALERS WHO DENIED PROBLEMS). WITH UNRESPONSIVE JOSEPH SUBARU DEALER/SERVICE BEING 75 MILES DRIVE 1-WAY, SO BY 6/12/12 TOOK CAR TO DEALER NEIL HUFFMAN SERVICE (NHS), LOUISVILLE, KY, ~22.4 MI 1-WAY, FOR SERVICE & HOPED FOR HELP W/ORIGINAL COMPLAINTS: NEW COMPLAINTS; *MASTERS CYLINDER & *COOLANT ARE TOPPED-OFF W/MOST OIL CHANGES AS FLUIDS SEEM TO EVAPORATE, *WINDSHIELD FOGS-UP UNLESS A WINDOW IS OPEN, ENGINE OVERHEATED & LOST OIL AFTER 3RD OIL CHANGE (SEEMINGLY DUE TO VALVOLINE OW20 SYNTHETIC OIL OF 08/07/2013, SO REPLACED W/SYNTHETIC OIL STABILIZER), WINDSHIELD WIPER FELL OFF & PIECE OF BODY-PART BUMPER COVER WAS FALLING OFF; PLUS HAD TO REPLACE BATTERY & ALTERNATOR @ 22767 MI. HAD TO TAKE CAR TO A LOCAL/REPUTABLE REPAIR SERVICE (MORTON'S) TO GET REIMBURSED FROM SEARS TIRE/AUTO CENTER FOR NHS, REPORTING, ON 01/2019, THE SEARS TIRES HAD BEEN MOUNTED IMPROPERLY, ALSO SHOWED REAR-BRAKES NEED REPLACED, HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS OF MAINTENANCE NEEDED DONE & THE CAR HAS 2 RECALLS. HOWEVER, AFTER MORTON'S FIXED THE IMPROPERLY MOUNTED TIRES, ASKED IF I HAD TROUBLE W/THE ALIGNMENT OF THE VEHICLE (Y) OR IF IT HAD BEEN IN A ACCIDENT (N), THEN INFORMED THE CAR HAS A *'BENT FRAME.' MY VERTIGO GOT WORSE, SO I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET BACK TO KY FOR THE RECALLS, & CONFUSED & BUMMED-OUT ABOUT THE BENT-FRAME. WHAT CAN I DO?
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE GEAR SHIFTER FAILED TO SHIFT OUT OF PARK. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V149000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED RYE SUBARU (LOCATED AT 1175 BOSTON POST RD, RYE, NY 10580, (914) 967-6300) AND STAMFORD SUBARU (LOCATED AT 198 BAXTER AVE, STAMFORD, CT 06902, (203) 252-2222) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 57,777. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
THERE IS A SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM. WHEN THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE FRONT RIGHT SEAT THE AIRBAG SIGN WILL SAY PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF. THIS WILL HAPPEN WHEN THE CAR IS MOVING OR STATIONARY.
PASSENGER AIRBAG OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (ODS) TURNS AIRBAG OFF WITH ADULT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. ADULT PASSENGER HAD SEAT UPRIGHT, EVERYTHING DRY. NO DEVICES PLUGGED IN. WE HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR 5 HOURS WHEN LIGHT CAME ON SAYING PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF. STOPPED FOR GAS, TURNED CAR OFF AND BACK TO NORMAL FOR ONLY 5 MINUTES. NOW LIGHT IS ON AS IF NO PASSENGER IN SEAT WHEN IN FACT THERE IS AN ADULT THERE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR CONDITIONER AND HEATER STOPPED WORKING. THE CONTACT PULLED OUT THE PANEL WHERE THE SWITCH WAS LOCATED AND NOTICED THAT THE SWITCH WAS BURNED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.
FALSIFICATION OF RECALL SERVICE WORK PERFORMED FOR RECALL WQT-55 THAT IS RELATED TO THE AIR BAG NOT DEPLOYING BASED ON AN ISSUE W/ THE OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM. WALDORF SUBARU STATES THEY PERFORMED THAT THEY DIDN'T DO. SUBARU HAS BEEN EXTREMELY SLOW AN UNRESPONSIVE IN ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE. MY CAR WAS ORIGINALLY TAKEN TO WALDORF SUBARU TO HAVE THE RECALL PERFORMED, AFTER WHICH I HAD A SERVICE WORK ORDER INDICATING IT WAS COMPLETE. I RECEIVE A PHONE CALL 2 DAYS LATER FROM THE PARTS MANAGER INDICATING THE "PART THAT WAS NEEDED FOR THE RECALL IS NOW IN STOCK." AS A SECOND CHECK, I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO ANOTHER SUBARU LOCATION (HERB GORDON SUBARU/MILE ONE) TO CHECK IT OUT AND VERIFY IF THE RECALL HAD BEEN IN FACT FIXED, THIS PROVED THAT IT HAD NOT BEEN FIXED. I OBTAINED A SERVICE WORK ORDER WITH THESE DETAILS. I CONTACTED SUBARU TO HAVE THEM ADDRESS THIS, AND THEY HAVE BEEN SLOW TO RESPOND AND HAVE BEEN UNRESPONSIVE TO THE CONCERNS THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED. THEIR INTERNAL COMPLAINT NUMBER HAS BEEN OPENED TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE: SR #:1-17536427192
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BECAME FRACTURED AND WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER. AFTER THE SEAT WAS REPLACED, THE PASSENGER SIDE "AIR BAG OFF" WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE WHENEVER THE SEAT WAS WET OR LIGHTLY DAMP. THE FAILURE DID NOT OCCUR PRIOR TO THE SEAT REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V419000 (AIR BAGS). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,700.
HAVING TROUBLE IGNITION TURNING OVER I HAVE TAKEN BACK TO DEALER SEVERAL TIMES ALWAYS TOLD MY CAR WAS FINE THIS CAR HAS RECALLS I WASN'T AWARE I HAD TO REPLACE TIRE & SENSOR WASN'T WORKING WAS TOLD IT WAS CLIMATE RELATED WHEN I BROUGHT IT IN......THIS IS MY SECOND SUBARU ..I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED W THIS CAR.....NOW MY ABS,CHECK ENGINE, AN TIRE GAUGES ARE BLINKING WHEN I WAS PARKING I JUST TOOK IT TO DEALER A WEEK AGO....I WAS TOLD EVERYTHING WAS FINE.
WHEN A PASSENGER OF 215LBS OR MORE SITS IN MY 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA PASSENGER SEAT FOR MORE THAN 10MILES THE AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON AND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG IS TURNED OFF.
WARNING LAMPS FOR STABILITY CONTROL AIR BAG RANDOMLY LIGHT UP ON MY DASH BOARD PANEL. THE PASSENGER AIR BAG WILL ALSO SWITCH TO OFF EVEN WHEN A PASSER IS SITTING IN THE SEAT OR THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT WARNING SOUND WILL GO OFF IF A SMALL OBJECT IS PLACED ON THE SEAT. MY MECHANIC CAN'T FIND THE ISSUE AS I CANNOT RECREATE THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT CAUSE THE LAMPS TO SWITCH ON OR THE WARNING SIREN TO CHIME. COMPUTER READINGS DO NOT RETURN ANY "CODES" IF THE LAMPS AREN'T ON.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONTAL SIDE PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT WOULD TURN OFF AFTER APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES WHEN A PASSENGER WAS OCCUPYING THE SEAT. ALSO, THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FRONTAL DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
DRIVING DOWN MOUNTAIN AFTER DAY OF SKIING. ROADS WERE TREACHEROUS AND ICY. 20 MINUTES INTO THE DRIVE, DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHTS TURNED ON, INDICATING THAT AIRBAGS WOULD NOT DEPLOY IN THE CASE OF A COLLISION. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER I WAS WEARING A DAMP BATHING SUIT WHILE DRIVING AND THE SAME SITUATION OCCURRED, INDICATING THAT THE AIRBAGS WOULD NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, I WAS DRIVING ON A HOT DAY WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN. I WAS SWEATING QUITE A BIT AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON MY SUBARU IMPREZA TURNED ON YET AGAIN. THIS ISSUE WAS BROUGHT UP WITH THE DEALERSHIP WHILE THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. THE DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT SIMPLY RESET THE SENSOR, NOT SOLVING THE ISSUE OR COMPREHENDING THE SEVERITY OF THIS ISSUE. THE OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR IN THE SEAT MUST HAVE FAULTED AND TURNED OFF THE AIRBAGS WHEN A SMALL AMOUNT OF SNOW/WATER/SWEAT ON MY REAR CAUSED A FAULT IN THE ELECROSTATIC SENSOR. THE OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR IS AN ELECTROSTATIC SENSOR THAT WILL FAULT WHEN IT SENSES AN ARBITRARY AMOUNT OF MOISTURE. AN INTERNAL MEMO IN AUGUST 2012 FROM SUBARU TO IT'S DEALERS IN NORTH AMERICA ACKNOWLEDGED, BUT NOT SOLVED THIS PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAGS NOT ENGAGING WHEN THE SEAT IS WET. FROM SUBARU'S INTERNAL MEMO: "WHEN WATER OR ANYTHING WITH HIGH MOISTURE CONTENT IS SPILLED ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT CUSHION, THE AIRBAG IS DESIGNED TO REMAIN OFF UNTIL THE SEAT CUSHION IS DRY". *TR
DRIVING ABOUT 30 - 35MPH WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR LOST POWER. THE CAR DID NOT STALL, BUT ENGINE WENT DOWN TO IDLE SPEED AND MY ACCELERATOR PEDAL HAD NO THROTTLE CONTROL. THE "CHECK ENGINE " LIGHT CAME ON AS WELL AS THE "TRACTION CONTROL" LIGHT. I DRIFTED TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AND TURNED ENGINE OFF. AFTER OPENING THE HOOD TO CHECK ENGINE - OBSERVED NOTHING UNUSUAL - I RE-STARTED THE CAR. THE CAR SEEMED BACK TO NORMAL, BUT THE ENGINE CODE LIGHTS STAYED ON. THE WARNING LIGHTS EVENTUALLY TURNED THEMSELVES OFF - 3 OR 4 RE-STARTS LATER. SUBARU DEALER REPORTED A P2138 OBD CODE, BUT HE DID NOT REPLACE/REPAIR ANYTHING. THE SAME EXACT THING HAPPENED 9 MONTHS LATER (JULY 2, 2014), AND SUBARU DEALER REPORTED A P2138 CODE ONCE AGAIN. NO REPAIRS OR REPLACEMENTS DONE! *TR
2012 SUBARU IMPREZA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO THE INSTALLATION OF VEHICLE REMOTE STARTER. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED HE RECEIVED A RECALL REGARDING THE REMOTE STARTED. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER, THE REMOTE THAT WAS INSTALLED IN HIS VEHICLE WAS NOT A SUBARU MANUFACTURED UNIT, AND THEREFORE NOT SUBJECT TO RECALL.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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